Spinach And Feta Cheese Stuffed Leg Of Lamb Recipes

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

STUFFED GREEK LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Lay out the leg of lamb on cutting board with the inside of the lamb facing you. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the lamb. Sprinkle oregano and basil over the lamb. Top lamb with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
• Roll the lamb around the stuffing. Bundle the lamb with kitchen twine to keep from unrolling. Wrap lamb in aluminum foil and place in a baking dish.
• Roast in preheated oven to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 150 degrees F (70 degrees C) for medium, about 90 minutes. Set aside to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Reserve pan juices for serving.

SPINACH AND FETA STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Lay the lamb out flat on work surface, skin side down, pound to thin out as much as you can.
• In a bowl, combine all ingredients for filling.
• Mix well.
• Spread mixture on the lamb evenly.
• Roll up jelly roll style.
• Tie with string at 1" intervals.
• Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 325 degrees and roast for an additional hour.
• Test for doneness.
• Remove lamb from pan and deglaze with wine.
• Allow the lamb to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serve with pan drippings.

LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the fennel bulb over medium heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the scallions and chopped garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the greens and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the fennel seeds and pepper to taste. Let cool, and then add the mint.
• Make 8 small slits randomly in the lamb and insert the garlic quarters.
• Transfer half of the greens mixture to a small bowl. Add the cheese to the greens remaining in the skillet. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt if necessary (Feta is usually quite salty). Stuff the lamb with the cheese mixture, squeezing it to extract the excess juices; add some of the remaining greens if needed; the lamb should be well stuffed. Close the opening with toothpicks. Rub the lamb all over with the remaining greens. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the over to 450°F.
• Scrape the greens off the surface of the lamb and reserve. Brush the lamb with oil and sprinkle with the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Place the lamb in a roasting pan that just holds it comfortably, preferably clay or Pyrex one. Roast for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add the reserved greens.
• Pour the greens mixture over the lamb and roast for 5 minutes more. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and roast the lamb, basting frequently with the pan juices, adding a little more wine to the pan if necessary, for about 30 minutes longer, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 135°F for medium. Remove the lamb from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped fennel or dill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Carve the lamb and serve, passing the pan juices in a bowl or sauceboat at the table.
• NOTE: Alternatively, you can use a butterflied leg of lamb. Spread the stuffing over the lamb, roll it up and tie it. Marinate and roast as directed.

SPINACH-STUFFED LAMB

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute minced garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the spinach, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper., Untie lamb and open so it lies flat; flatten to 3/4-in. thickness. Spread spinach mixture over meat to within 1 in. of edges. Starting with a short side, roll up lamb and tuck ends in; tie with kitchen string at 2-in. intervals. With a sharp knife, make slits on the outside of meat; insert garlic slivers. Sprinkle with rosemary and remaining salt and pepper., Place seam side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake at 425° for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15-30 minutes longer or until browned and a thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with pan juices. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

SPINACH AND FETA CHEESE STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• The stuffing. In a large sautee pan, fry garlic and onions in olive oil until garlic is slightly golden. Add fresh spinach and cover. After spinach has wilted add feta, salt and pepper. Stuff the leg. Unroll lamb leg exposing the pocket created by removing the bone. Rub the inside of the lamb leg with half of the garlic paste, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add stuffing evenly throughout the cavity, and fold the leg over, hopefully encompassing all of the stuffing... do not over stuff the leg, if there is extra, just eat it later. Tie lamb leg with kitchen string, you might need a friend to help so that lamb is in a tight bundle around the sutffing... it should look like a football. Rub the remaining garlic paste on the exterior of the football, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine ingredients for yogurt and generiously coat the lamb leg. It might be better to do this in a food storage bag if it will fit. Allow the lamb to sit for 20 minutes in the refridgerator while covered in yogurt. The lamb stock reduction. In a 2 quart sauce pan, at medium heat, fry onion in 2 tbsn olive oil. Once onion is translucent add lamb bones and cover pot. After 10 minutes reduce the pan heat to low, and add red wine, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. After 15 minutes, run stock through a strainer, retain liquid. reduce this liquid by half. To grill the lamb, heat the grill to a medium temperature, and reduce the flame to medium low. Lamb does not take very long to cook, so 8-10 minutes on all 4 sides with the lid closed will probably yield a medium rare leg (which is perfect) To serve, remove kitchen ties, and slice the lamb in one inch lengths cross-sectionally. Drizzle with reduction, and enjoy.